Olympic gold medal decathlete inspiring others

London, Ont. -

Days after being named a nominee for Male World Athlete of the Year 2021, Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, Damian Warner was encouraging students across the Thames Valley District School Board to follow their dreams.

Warner’s presentation was being live-streamed from Medway High School to more than 600 classrooms in the region.

“I think it’s important because I was one of these guys,” says Warner who attended Montcalm Secondary School in London. “I think it’s to show them you can get to your dreams if you have the right people around you.”

Grade 12 Medway student Leah Godfrey said Warner is a role model adding, “He had a lot to overcome and I think he’s inspiring.”

As for the nomination, Warner calls it an honour saying, “After the year I’ve had, it’s kind of like icing on the cake.”

Looking to the future Warner says he’s not done competing yet, “We’re going to start training on Nov. 1 and getting ready for the World Indoor Championships in March in Serbia. Last time in 2018 I got silver so it would be really nice to get gold.”